BOTTLE MAKING 33 PETplanet Insider Vol. 24 No. 05/23 www.petpla.net Fully automated FE process chain The project with Cadfem - the FEM Bottle Wizard - included a system change to Ansys Workbench in order to design a fully automated FE process chain with pre-processing, calculation and post-processing using ACT (Application Customisation Toolkit). The standardisation and automation of the simulation created an orderly flow of information, including a link to the SAP system. “We use the CAD model to specify which bottle is to be simulated,” explains Maximilian Braun. “Likewise, material data and the wall thickness distribution are defined. Then the load cases to be analysed have to be specified as well as a commission or order number in the request form in order to start the automatism.” Standardisation and automation Six load cases have been implemented so far: top load empty and top load filled as stack load cases, Sideload-filled, hydrostatic pressure simulation, overpressure simulation and the vacuum simulation. These simulate the behaviour on conveyor belts, in processing machines and the haptics for the end user. With the new Wizard, the requirements are defined in 5 minutes instead of the 40 minutes it used to take. It also takes just 10 minutes to set up a simulation project. The ease of use is based on the fact that the user is guided through the process using the structure tree. The speed results from the high degree of automation as well as from the calculations in the cluster. In addition, the results are quickly available in the form of a standardised, automatically generated report. If all calculations are needed, they can now be performed within 24 hours, which used to take several days. With the provision of the Wizard, the number of bottle simulations performed has increased significantly because well-founded results are available quickly. In many cases, this happens within a few hours and not the next day or the day after. Thomas Albrecht explains, “in 2019, we were able to carry out around 150 projects, each with several load cases and simulation runs. That was more than 700 calculations, a number that was previously unimaginable for us. However, it’s not the number that counts, but rather the benefits that come from it. These include an improvement in our consulting expertise, the ease with which we can implement our customers’ design requirements, an acceleration of decision-making processes, and greater customer loyalty.” The entire FEM Bottle Wizard process from data entry to automated report generation. Multiple benefits with Group-wide use The Bottle Wizard can be used throughout the Group by initiating the calculations by employees in the individual branches or subsidiaries. So far, it has been used in Germany, the USA, China, Thailand and Dubai. “With the new Wizard solution, we have been able to expand the user base for simulations to include container designers worldwide,” reports Ulrich Lappe. “There are now a lot of them. Particularly when you are faced with a problem, you can try out similar variants directly in order to solve it. Likewise, errors that occur or are detected late can be resolved more quickly. We have also found that simulation results make it easier for customers to understand why changes are necessary. Time-consuming sampling as verification is usually no longer necessary.” “My future dream for simulation would be a virtual lab report. This would become possible if all test procedures carried out in the laboratory could also be carried out as simulations. For this, we need even more precise models and must integrate further calculations into the digital bottle designer.” - Maximilian Braun, project supervisor of the digital bottle designer - www.krones.com www.cadfem.net Given the production volume of PET bottles, even small material savings have a big impact.
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